13 Jul 11 HOW BDD AFFECTS LIVES – SUICIDE
It isn’t known how many people with BDD kill themselves, but some do. A study of dermatology patients reported the very sobering finding that of those patients known to have committed suicide over 20 years, most had acne or BDD. The psychiatric literature also contains descriptions of people with BDD who committed suicide because they were so distraught and despairing over their perceived ugliness. And I know of numerous people with BDD who committed suicide. Several were beautiful young women with skin concerns who picked their skin. Another was a young man who had been obsessed with his “misshapen” forehead, and another a young man who hated his hair. Yet another was a man in his 50s who hated his beard and whose life had been devastated by BDD.Bill told me that there were some people with BDD I’d never be able to interview. When I asked why, he answered, “Because they’re dead—they’ve killed themselves.” He should know, because he had attempted suicide 15 times because of the pores on his nose. He could no longer cope with the torment of his perceived ugliness. Another man said something nearly identical: “I think many people have committed suicide because of BDD. I know, because it’s so painful. I made two suicide attempts at the time my symptoms were severe. I felt very isolated, and I lost hope.”I have no doubt that in many cases successful psychiatric treatment (SRIs and/or CBT) prevents suicide. In my fluoxetine (Prozac) study, suicidal thinking decreased significantly more with fluoxetine than with placebo (sugar pill) treatment. Juanita had a good response to fluoxetine. She called me years later to say that she’d gotten married and had a great job. She was no longer suicidal over how she looked. Luke also had an excellent response to the same medication plus cognitive-behavioral therapy. After treatment, his appearance no longer tormented him. He went on to a successful career in television, and gave up thoughts of suicide. “It’s the furthest thing from my mind now,” he told me. “I have a great life. Thank God I got treatment. I owe my life to it.”*146\204\8*
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